The Lions were on duty in Finglas this
morning at Erin’s Isle. Weather conditions were perfect and the Islanders
had the tractor in this week so we weren’t going to lose the sliotar in the
long grass today. With a good turnout both teams with 10 young men ready
to play. There would be no subs today. However the pitch was
minimum dimensions and there wasn’t much open space or room to manoeuvre out
there. We started with ground hurling and the Islanders gave a good
account of themselves competing for ever loose ball. It was obvious
however that we had the opposition under pressure from very early on and though
they hurled well to get the ball out of their own half, our midfield group of
Ciarán Matt Lawless and Luke sent it straight back up to our forwards, leading
to some desperate clearances many going straight over the side line.
Ciaran was assigned side-line balls and every cut was better than the
previous. The only respite came from the Islanders puc outs. They
had a good man between the posts and they needed it because he had to go long
every time with the Raheny men picking up every player in their back line to
midfield. This gave Jack, Ryan and Matt Dowdall their first real taste of
the game as they cleared out anything coming past mid field. When the
Referee signalled for Air Hurling the Lions went up another gear and it was
only a matter of time before the Islanders net was rattled. The assist
came from Colin who was a man on a mission playing down the left wing, as he
sent the sliotar into the goalmouth. The opposition Goalie thought he had
the situation covered but Luke Morgan stepped up and took it off his hurl and
broke his heart and the back of the net. The tight spaces and the
physicality shown by both sides presented opportunities for free taking but
when they came our way we made sure we were in their half. Luke McCullough
got one on the halfway line and sent it high and over the bar and even more
importantly right between the posts causing spontaneous applause from the
opposition coaches. Although we were well in control at this point
the Islanders redoubled their efforts and came back at us. Our back line
held strong each man tackling for all he was worth. Some nice pieces of
skill were on display too with Matt Dowdall’s work rate off the scale.
Ryan’s tackling was also excellent. He intercepted two over head
shots taking them both on his hurl and sent straight back up the field.
Evan kept a clean sheet in the first half between our posts and his puc outs
were excellent.

In the second half the opposition came
back with a goal during the ground hurling period. They drew some breath
from this and they commenced a final stand with some terrific hurling on show
from both sides. However Raheny kept their head and when there was a free to be
taken Luke McCullough did the business with another extremely well taken
puc. In our front line it must be mentioned that Rudi was nothing short
of a class apart for the whole match. He was an example of exactly what
we are looking for in our young men. He tackled like he was the last man
between himself and his goal and never allowed an easy clearance to the
islanders. Indeed on more than one occasion the defender would look down
to see he was combing the grass as Rudi had dipped him and was already heading
to goal with his prize. This was a great morning’s work by the Lions and
the score of 1 goal and two points to 1 goal was just one of the things they
should be proud of. Well done.

RAHENY GIANTS

Report by Kieran Doherty

The Raheny Giants achieved a
well-deserved victory over Erin’s Isle in Finglas on Saturday. The final score
of 2-2 (8) to 3-0 (3) gave the Giants a comfortable 5 point winning margin.

Before throw-in, the mentors had
emphasised the need for the Giants to make a strong start to the game, stand up
to the physical challenges that they would face, and remember the skills that
had been covered in the week’s training.

The boys certainly rose to the
challenge and the headlines will go to Cormac Baldwin who scored two brilliant
points and a goal, but this really was a strong team effort. Dan O’Grady scored
the other Raheny goal and was unlucky not to add to his tally. There were
assured performances between the sticks from Adam Roberts in the first half and
Jamie Nolan in the second; their accurate puck-outs set up a number of Raheny
attacks.

John Broderick, Joseph Doherty and
Ultan Fitzpatrick were mainly deployed in midfield and defence and were
tireless in their challenges and unflinching in their tackles. In a
well-contested encounter, Adam Robinson, Jamie Nolan, Max Osborne and Conor
Watters kept the opposition under pressure and showed their superior hurling
skills all over the pitch. There were some great examples of hooking and
hand-passing.

The home side’s scores were courtesy of
some lax marking by Raheny so this is something the Giants can work on.
Otherwise, the boys can be proud of their performance. They were stronger in
their challenges and more skilful with the sliotar. Well done all!

The Raheny Lions took the field with three Matthews and two
Adams just to keep it simple for the mentors against a well drilled Naomh Olaf
team. The match was highly competitive from the off with Raheny backs providing
a good platform for attacking by the forwards. The first point was scored by
Jamie Nolan after great play by mid fielder Adam Roberts. Olaf’s responded with
two quick points despite excellent pressure and blocking from Matthew Dowdall and
Martin Bishop.The first half ended a
tight contest with Olaf’s leading by 2 points to one.

A few tactical changes at half time meant that Raheny became
more competitive. Going man to man every time by every Raheny player meant that
the Lions won all the 50:50 balls. Rudi was a live wire upfront whilst Matt
lawless dominated mid field. He provided two assists for Jamie who struck two
more points over the bar to give Raheny the lead. Cathal Shovlin moved into
midfield later in the half to give Adam Roberts a rest as he had covered every
blade of grass. Cathal received a great pass from Jack Codd after a terrific
high field of the ball over his head and powered forward before laying the ball
to Rudi for another point.

The Lions were well on top at this stage and two additional
points from Matt Lawless and Matthew Grant ended the scoring for Raheny

At the back Jack Codd marshalled the defence well with great
support and covering from Adam Savage who came into his own in the second half
with two great clearances in particular. Olaf’s scored a late consolation point
to leave the Final Score at Raheny Lions 0-6 points (18) to 0-3 points (9) for
Olaf’s

The victory was very well deserved. A lot of skills
practiced is training were on view. In particular blocking and working the ball
out from the back at speed.

Raheny Tigers dominated Naomh Olaf from start to finish recording their best victory of the season so far. Ryan Kane had the standout performance in attack scoring 3 points along with a fine goal. Joe Bonar and James Pitts put in battling performances winning dirty ball to set up Ryan Kent, Ryan Kane and Brian to deliver the coup de grace. Joe and James hard graft was crucial for the team to gain the clear opportunities in front of goal.

The platform for success was built upon Cian's clever kick outs in the first half, mixing short and long kicks which always reached their target. Dylan was a pillar in defence, winning contested ball and breaking out of defence to deliver long ball into the forward line. Ryan Kent was unstoppable in midfield scoring two fantastic points and creating countless opportunities for the attack and himself. In the matches to come looking for Ryan Kent to see the options around him and concentrate on his execution of his kicking. Ceda won a lot of ball in the attack and was very effective in distributing short ball to his team mates. James kept a clean sheet for the Tigers in the second half and Tiarnan tirelessly worked his socks off for the team. TIarnan in the second half and Joe in the first half showed their sportsmanship by playing for the opposition. The players and mentors always recognise true sportsmanship and well done to Joe and Tiarnan.

Two players who have silently gone about improving their games is Brian and Ryan Kane. Ryan's movement and anticipation has leap frogged in a manner of weeks and execution in front of goal was excellent. Brian's positioning and distribution was precise and efficient and took his goal with aplomb.

A fantastic team performance and credit to the coaches for doing a great job in the skills and fitness program. It's clear to see the fruits of their endeavours are shining through

The lions strolled onto Baróg pitch 13 in St Anne’s last Saturday morning with great anticipation. They had looked on in admiration week in week out from their own battle scarred venue of pitch 12a, at the lush green and very even top coat of this under used accessory and wondered how the other half lived. Now they were about to find out first hand and it would be Baróg that they would first use to test it. From the tip it was obvious who was in charge with the sliotar spending most of its time in the Baróg half. With Ryan, Jack and Matt Dowdall in the back line Matt Lawless was to have little to do between the sticks. Where Baróg were more than competent at ground hurling and our lads practice it very little it was a competition of sorts for the first period. Our forwards made the enthusiastic error of drifting into midfield to support their own but brought their defenders with them. Although we were clearly on top in the middle we were losing it when we went forward. A stalemate existed in the first half even when we started to Air hurl. However in the 2nd half as soon as we were allowed to lift we looked like a different team. Matt Lawless was the first to strike with an excellent puc from 15metres. I’m sure if the Baróg keeper had seen it coming he would have been able to do very little. Luke wrapped it up a few minutes later with an excellent point from play. Though Baróg got a goal at the end it merely painted a picture of respectability to a clash where Raheny were always in the driving seat.

Our second encounter was Na Fianna and similar to the first game our first half was a battle in the middle where the opposition gave no quarter but did not appear to be have any real graw to threaten our goal. Once again our backs were excellent with Matt Ryan and Jack in complete control and leaving Adam to recover from the exertions of the first game in goal. Evan Ciarán and Mathew Grant were tireless up front and when we at last got a chance to air hurl Na Fianna realised they were in a blitz and Raheny were conducting the raid. Credit must go to the opposition for their tenacity and managing against all odds to keep a clean sheet the first half. The second half was different and though na Fianna’s commitment remained soon Raheny found a crack which Matt Lawless found and punished with extreme prejudice. It was a fine puc that sailed over the crossbar form 20 metres. Four goals followed with Sam first in line threading a needle between 4 defenders, finding a gap that the keeper didn’t know was there until the sliotar whizzed past his ear into the net. Luke stepped up to take advantage of a poor clearance to rattle the back of the net with another. Mathew grant was soon after with a similar strike and the game closed after the other Matt finished as he had started the day with another fine goal. It was obvious to all who enjoyed the encounter how much the lions had improved since they last met both of these groups. It seems to me where Na Fianna and Baróg are both obviously still practicing ground hurling it was the only period of both games where they seemed capable of competing with Raheny. Once the signal was given to lift the sliotar, Raheny appeared to be from a different age group. Well done the Lions for a great mornings work.

After a long drive, the Raheny U9s arrived - with only a few
minor ‘I’m lost’ calls - to St. Pat’s impressive grounds in Donabate. This was
only our second game against St. Pats. The U9s
had played St. Pats as our first game of the season back in February in St.
Annes and on that occasion they were very strong opponents. Thus, the boys were
told in training and from the outset to be prepared for a very tough match as our
opponents play twice as much football as us given their focus on Football only.

With this in mind the game got off to a very competitive
start. Today, Raheny Giants were premiering fully our quick kick outs ala Steo
Cluxton. Jack was our goalkeeper in the first half and his goal keeping was
impressive and his quick kick outs ever more impressive, so impressive indeed
even some of our own players were not expecting the ball to come out just as
quick as it did, a big credit to Jack.

Our backs in the first half were Ultan, Joseph and John and
the held the line excellently, ably supported in midfield by Adam and Luke. Luke
had an outstanding game both in the mid in the first half and in the backs in
the second half. His fielding, passing and scoring was exceptional even playing
on with a cut lip for most of the first half.

Up front Dan, Conor, Colin and Cormac combined to pull the
St. Pats defenders from one side to the other opening spaces for our scores.
The game was marred a little by some ‘dodgy’ refereeing decisions from the
slightly biased home referee on the day: St. Pats were awarded a number of
pointed frees from close to the goal that Raheny didn’t seem to get for similar infractions at the
other end. It was one of those days.

The first half was therefore hard fought with St. Pats going
into an early lead rattling of some fine points. The Giants came literally
roaring back, with scores - following excellently passing play beforehand - from
Luke (2 goals and 1 point) and the ever reliable Colin and Dan (1 point each).
At half time it was 0:4 to 2:3 in favour of St. Pats.

In the second half, the pattern continued with Raheny
generally domineering the game, only to be pegged back by more scored frees than poinst from play. Raheny scored 3 points in the second half (Luke 1 and
Cormac 2) only to be outdone by four points from St. Pats. We in fairness
missed two frees near the end (when the refereeing became more balanced) which
would have put a fairer reflection on the game.

The final score in the game was 0:8 to St. Pats and 2:6 to
Raheny. A loss by a point according to U9 rules but the Raheny Giants were the
better team on the day and if not for some, as noted, curious refereeing
decisions in the first three quarters of the game, the Giants should have won.
Nevertheless, it was a great battling performance and it will surely bode well
for the boys in the remaining games of the season. Well done lads.

Raheny Tigers put in a battling performance against a strong St Patricks
side who scored two late points to win the game. Raheny can take a lot of
confidence going into the next game with the amount of opportunities they
created against St Pats. When Raheny Tigers rediscover
their dogged determination and self-belief the victories will come.

Adam toiled relentlessly in midfield scoring a fantastic point along with five
blocks, an outstanding individual performance. Adam was ably assisted by
Sam who played a pivotal role in midfield and defence winning the 50/50 ball
and turning defence into attack. Sam chipped in with two fine blocks. In the
second half Cathal scored a fantastic point and showed in flashes the latent
talent that is waiting to be untapped. In defence Brian was a pillar
breaking up St Pats attacks with Cian, Joe and Ryan acquitting themselves
in their defensive duties. In the second half Luke Kelly and
Ryan Kane combined to score a fine goal which cemented Raheny's period of
dominance over St Pats. James and Joe always playing key roles
constantly harassing St Pats defenders. Dylan played a crucial role in goals
where his distribution was exemplary mixing long and short kick outs to
great effect

The Raheny Lions convened for an early morning breakfast at the back of Dublin Airport this morning. Na Fianna were on the menu today and the lads would not be going home hungry as their opposition showed up in numbers. With 11 Na Fianna warriors it meant there would be no rest for our group of 10. The storm last night left the ground in perfect condition except for the want of a haircut. It made ground hurling a little slow but lifting a little easier. The boys didn’t mind they were well up for this. From the start with Conor and Luke in the middle the sliotar was only heading in one direction, towards the Na Fianna goal. Up front the tackling was fierce with Ryan Jack and Seán giving as good as they got. Na Fianna’s back line was certainly a force to be reckoned with. It felt like they had an extra man and later we realised that they had.

Nevertheless our forwards pinned them to their goal mouth for the opening minutes. Rudi entered the fray up front later in the half and provided a quickness that terrorised the Na Fianna Back line The oppositions only respite came after a Raheny strike travelled wide. The Fianna Keeper unleashed a huge puc and a communications error allowed a Na Fianna forward to split two of our defenders and open the scoring. The setback deepened the Raheny resolve and the pressure resumed with Jack finally getting the sliotar over the Fianna goal line.

Conor Watters shone throughout this game however his sideline pucks most notably were fundamentally and technically excellent. Just as you applauded one aspect of his game he displayed another skill from his repitoire. This was even more evident when it came to air hurling. His lifting under pressure along with his ability to make room for his strike left mid field solidly under Raheny management. This coupled with Luke’s brave tackling, hard work and intelligent play provided excellent service for our forwards. The Na Fianna lads were no push over and they defended like Titans and credit must go to them for keeping the score down however Conor stepped up just before half time to take a 25 metre free from an acute angle and made no mistake.

The second half allowed us the opportunity to move the lads around with Rudi in goal and Seán Jack and Max in the back line and Ryan playing in front of them. Conor and Luke remained in midfield and Martin, Evan and Adam were up front. Na Fianna came back at the Lions with everything they had but the back line was solid. With Ryan playing in front it allowed our mid field to push up to a more forward position. At one point it resembled pin-ball with Raheny keeping na Fianna under siege. Martin was the first to deliver with a fine strike at goal from 10 metres. Evan repeated the move some minutes later. The delivery may have been helped by Martin over the line though it was heading into the net either way.

Adam delivered a fine point from almost 30 metres from along the sideline as Na Fianna attempted to stem the onslaught by packing their defence. This was followed a minute later by another score from Adam which although straight in front of the goal and 15 metres out he had far more to do as he lifted the sliotar with his back to goal and sent two defender’s the wrong way with a little shimmy and buried it in the back of the net as he turned the other way. The final score was 4 goals and 2 points for Raheny to 1 goal from Na Fianna. The score did not adequately reflect the contest as Na Fianna never made it easy. We were just better. Well done boys.

The Lions played host to Brigids this weekend. It took the Lions some
time to get into their stride with Bridids taking full advantage. Brigids
notched up a goal and a point before the Lions responded with 2 points from
Rudi and Adam but Brigids came back with a point before the half time whistle.

The second half Brigids were clearly more physical in their tackling.
The Lions did start to get into more of their stride moving the ball quickly
and were unlucky not to convert on a few occasions. Sean was supplied from turn
over of play from the backs and scored the Lions only point in the second half.
Well done to Sean who picked up 2 skill points and Adam also got a skill point.
Great strenght and team play from Cathal & Jamie who continued playing while
picking up injuries.

The visitors
started brightly and were on top in the opening exchanges and the Raheny back
line of John Broderick,Joseph Doherty and Ultan Fitzpatrick
had their work cut out to keep the Brigid’s forwards in check. Conor Waters
started the match between the posts and was also kept very busy. As the match
progressed the midfield of Luke McCullough and Dan O’Grady began to
impose themselves on the game and provide more ball to Colin McAweeney,
Cormac Baldwin and Martin Bishop. Martin was causing the majority of the
problems for the Brigid’s backs and he was the first Raheny player to put the
ball over the bar.

The second half saw
a number of positional changes including Jack Codd taking over in goal and
Matthew Grant coming into midfield. The visitors continued to put it up to the
Giants, but to their credit the boys kept at their game and refused to give in.
The other Raheny point scorers were Luke, Dan and Colin. Raheny also scored 5
skill points from blocks, including 2 from Joseph; however, Brigid’s were not
to be denied and ran out the victors by 20 points to 17.

It was a tough game
for the Giants against a very good St Brigid’s team, but the boys can take
heart from a good performance and a very narrow defeat. It was also a tough
game to report on as the match referee needed to borrow this reporter’s pen.

Wow! Watch a Game and What a Great Result. The Raheny Giants
really came of age against a strong and disciplined Naomh Mearnog in their
first hurling match of the new season. Raheny started very well without
dominating proceedings as man marking by both teams meant that there was very
little space anywhere on the pitch. However, as the first half rolled on Ultan
Fitzpatrick and Dan O’ Grady gained the upper hand and provided valuable
chances for Matt Lawless and Colin McAweeney up front. Two great points from
John and Cormac Baldwin after demonstrating great stick work to make space for
themselves put Raheny into a comfortable lead.

At the back Joseph Doherty marshalled the defence well with
great support and covering from Jamie Nolan and Adam Robinson who were strong
in the tackle to win the ball. Half time came quickly with Raheny leading 1-2
to 1-1 with Matt Lawless grabbing the Raheny goal.

A few tactical changes at half time meant that Raheny became
even more competitive. Going man to man every time by every Raheny player meant
that the Giants won most 50:50 balls. Superb points from distance from John,
Dan and Cormac gave Raheny an unassailable lead of 2 goals and 5 points (total
17 points) to 2 goals and 1 point (total 5 points) after ten minutes of the
second half. Great support play with Raheny players calling for passes from
their team mates in space was really pleasing as chance after chance was
created for Martin and Ciaran upfront.

Naomh Mearnog did rally and put Raheny backs under pressure
as the Giants tired in mid field. Gaps appeared at the back as Mearnog players
broke forward to grab a few consolation goals. The final whistle blew with a
great victory for the Giants by 17 points to ten.The victory was very well deserved. A lot of
skills practiced is training were on view. Positional sense and anticipation
when under pressure to defend is something that will need to be worked on over
the next few weeks.

A big well done lads from the mentors: Kevin Fitzpatrick,
Tony Lawless and Paul Nolan.

On a lovely
Sunny Saturday morning the Tigers lined up for the first time in Football against an Erin's
Isle team that had trained all summer. For the first game back and only one
training session done, the energy and skills on display were very encouraging.
The team started off at a great pace with each player looking assured in what
they were trying to do. James started out in goal offering assurance under the
ball and good kick outs finding his man. With Dylan and Brian solid in the back
and Ryan and Sam offering a continuous supply to the forward line, James and
Callum were a constant thorn in the side of the isles defence with Joe working
hard on the inside. The only the only mystery is how we were behind at half
time. 6 first half wide’s cost the team dearly.

The second half
saw Joe move into goal where he again flourished. Two fortuitous goals, one
from a sideline ball that went the whole way into the goal, were cruel blows. A
goal from Dylan raised hopes of a comeback but two points from Isles at the
death killed the game off. However the boys can be pleased with their efforts
for the day. Good blocking and tackling were demonstrated and with a bit more
training under the belt, it is looking like it will be a good second half of the season for
the Tigers.

RAHENY GIANTS

Report by ?

No Report Submitted

RAHENY LIONS

Report by Conor Pitts

The Lions welcomed Erin’s Isle to St. Anne’s on Saturday and a put in a wonderful team performance.

The first half was tight with both teams sharing four points at the break. Martin Bishop in goal was deadly accurate with his quick kick-outs which led to many point scoring situations. Adam Roberts in midfield put in a serious shift, he was scoring at one end, one minute, then breaking up attacks at the other end the next.

The second half started with Erin’s Isle on the attack but our defenders Adam Robinson and Matthew Dowdall were always first out to the ball, got blocks in and ensured we kept the ball with a wonderful exhibition of kick and hand passing. Both Cathal and Evan shared the keeping duty in the second half and continued with the accurate quick kick-outs. Evan produced the save of the game when a shot was goal bound but Evan just got his fingertips to it to tip it over the bar. The move of the game happened midway through the second half when Martin Bishop negotiated his way around two defenders and then unselfishly hand passed to Tiarnán to score his second point of the game. In the middle of the park Seán Quinn dominated with some wonderful fielding of the ball and got a point late on that his efforts deserved.

Mentors for the Lions on the Day, John and Conor were delighted with the performance of the boys particularly in the second half .The level of effort and skills on show ensured the Lions ran out 10-4 winners on the day.

On a sunny morning, the
Tigers lined out for the final football game of before the summer break in confident
mood. Playing up the hill and into a slight wind, Jonny set the tone for the
game with a skill point in the first minute for a block. It was great stuff to watch
with everyone putting in a great effort. Joe Bonor playing in goals pulled off
a number of saves, one in particular where he collected a long ball, had time
to go and have a chat to dad Paul who was behind the goal before clearing a
lovely ball out to the wing. Paul received Gas and Valium from doctors to try
and calm him down but to no avail!!!! Defence was tight with Cian Brian and
Caden repeatable repelling Na Fianna attacks and James, Dylan and Tiernan a
constant threat the Tigers went in only 4 points down at half time.

The second half brought
more pressure from the tigers with only some great Na Fianna defence denying them
more scores. With Jonny gliding across the pitch like a gazelle in the Serengeti, Rudi again showing the best things coming in
small packages and Luke Kelly kicking points from the half way line a victory
was on the cards. However a few fortuitous frees allowed Na Fianna to pull away
again and despite trying to the very end the Tigers could not pull back.
Despite the narrow loss it was a great day for the tigers and they can be proud
of the effort they have all put in this year where we won more than we lost.
Enjoy the Summer, lads (Though we still have a hurling game left...Ed.)

RAHENY GIANTS

Report by Kevin Fitzpatrick

The Raheny GiantsFaced a now familiar Na Fianna squad for their last football match before the summer break. Raheny were caught out when Na Fianna came quick out of the blocks and stole a lead with a well taken point. Raheny sprung to life and quickly responded with a point from play scored by Rian. Luke mc Cullough, Matt and Colin took control of the midfield and piled a lot more pressure on the Na Fianna goal. This paid off with Raheny scoring 3 more points and a goal with scores by Cormac, Colin, Dan and Luke mC Cullough. Na Fianna made some great runs at Raheny’s goal on the break throughout this half but Ultan was solid as a rock as the last defender back and combined with a great display in goal from John they kept Na Fianna from scoring.

In the second half Na Fianna had the wind behind them and the put a lot of pressure on the Raheny kick out. Despite great defensive work from Sean and from Matt in goal, Na Fianna scored 4 points in this period. In the last 10 minutes Raheny restored some order to their play with Colin and Luke Morgan putting in a lot of hard work to get the ball up to the Na Fianna goal against the strong wind. This paid off with Raheny scoring another 2 goals and a point. Despite being the stronger team for most of the match Raheny lost the game by a single point. Raheny showed great work and skill in recovering from a period of Na Fianna dominance and pushing the game right to the line. Well done to all the boys and all the coaches are looking forward to our next football match after the break.

RAHENY LIONS

Report by Niall Watters

Lions roared loudly today in sunny Collinstown, aurally mirroring the sound of jets going to and from the nearby airport. Na Fianna were down a referee so our own Paul Nolan took the whistle and played it straight down the line (though specsavers might get some mileage out of him in their next Ad., on the visual side of things). Anyhow, the lads lined up in their positions and took control of the game though the last pass and our shots were a bit off in the first quarter. Na Fianna scored first with a poachers goal, but after that Max Osborne and Martin Bishop took total control of the defence. At half time, Na Fianna went in marginally up but our goal keeper Cathal Shovlin coined a new phrase, the 'booty block' as he pointed out that he intentionally made some great saves with his backside.

Not to panic, in the second half the Lions kept at it with Brian Murray joining the defence in the second half and following Max and Martin's strong lead in the art of defencing. Adam Roberts went forward and scored two goals. The attacking midfielder, Ciaran Kerrisk and the forward pair of Jamie Nolan and Conor Watters ripped the Na Fianna defence apart with the passing and cross running play. Sam Mitchell played the defending midfielder well and was ably supported by Mathew Brigdale who improves with every game. In the end, Raheny Under 9s ran out comfortable winners by 2:7 (23) to 4:0 (4). Scorers on the day were Ciaran Kerrisk (9), Conor Watters (6), Adam Roberts (5) and Jamie Nolan (3). Well done lads great performance.

Raheny welcomed Na Fianna to pitch 10 on a beautiful morning
for hurling and the Raheny Giants served up a feast of hurling that highlighted
the progression this group of players has made this year. The Giants played
into a stiff breeze in the first half but they created a host of chances and only
for some wayward shooting and great goalkeeping by the Na Fianna keeper, they would
have had a comfortable lead at half time. It was Ryan Kent’s first time playing
with the Giants and he did not look out of place with a typically tenacious performance
in the forward line setting up numerous scoring opportunities for his team. Any
threat on the Raheny goal was quickly snuffed out by solid defending from Jack
and Conor. Jack always shows great awareness of where the danger is coming from
and throughout the first half he ensured his goalkeeper was well protected.
Matt was faultless in goal and his distribution was excellent, picking out John
and Cormac in the forward line with unerring accuracy. The game was scoreless
at half time but the Giants were clearly the dominant team and it was only a
matter of time before the floodgates opened.

The second half saw the Giants camped in the Na Fianna half
of the field and the lads soon found their range with Conor getting on the end
of a great ball from Cormac to finish to the net. Conor was a thorn in the side
of the Na Fianna defence with his determination and skill on the ball and he
doubled his and the teams score a few minutes later with another well taken
goal. Adam was also in fine form in the forward line and on several occasions
his battling qualities ensured that he won dirty ball to set up an attack. What
was very satisfying to see was the range of skills the lads showed when the
game switched to air hurling. The Giants have dominated against most teams this
season when the ball is on the ground but have struggled at times when the game
has switched to ‘all in’. This game was to be different however and as soon as
the ref signalled the switch to air hurling Cormac’s speed to the breaking ball
and great touch saw him score a great point on the run from out on the right. Dan
managed to take advantage of the lack of pressure from Na Fianna players to bag
1-1 from play and both Dan and John made superb catches from Na Fianna puck-outs
to add 2 skill points to the team’s total. Matt scored a beautiful point from a
free to take the final score to 4-5 (2 skill points) to no score. The lads won
this game as a result of their huge work rate and superior skills with the ball
in hand. With this as a template for the rest of the season the Giants will be
a match for any team they meet.